The present specification relates generally to the field of displays. More specifically, the specification relates to virtual displays.
Virtual displays can provide information that is viewable in virtual space for a user of equipment, such as aircraft, ships, boats, naval craft, medical equipment, robotic equipment, remote vehicles, unmanned vehicle systems (UVSs), training simulators, entertainment systems, military equipment, land vehicles, etc. The information can include navigation parameters, guidance parameters, equipment parameters, location information, video information, remote views, symbology, etc.
Virtual displays can be Near Eye Displays (NEDs), such as Head Mounted Displays (HMDs) (e.g., head worn displays, helmet mounted displays and head worn displays) or Head Up Displays (HUDs) with a fixed combiner near the eye position. Virtual displays can be utilized to provide images to an operator or user (e.g., a pilot in a cockpit). In aircraft applications, HUDs generally include a fixed combiner, an optical projector, an image source, and a HUD computer. HMDs generally include a head worn or helmet mounted combiner, optical projection elements, an image source, a HMD computer, and a head orientation sensor. The HUD or HMD computer causes the image source to provide an image which is projected to a combiner. The combiner provides a collimated image to the pilot. The image can include enhanced vision images, flight symbology, targeting data, flight instrument data, synthetic vision images, head up display (HUD) data, etc.
Cockpit and other display technologies have utilized non-virtual displays such as gauges and panel displays (e.g., head down displays (HDDs) in the cockpit environment). The non-virtual display technology has migrated from a multiplicity of independent gauges to a few large panel, non-virtual displays (e.g., large format HDDs in the cockpit environment). The large format HDDs can represent and concentrate information that used to be apportioned to different gauges and smaller HDDs. While this display technology allows for denser and more flexible display of multiple information streams, the denser, larger display formats can present several drawbacks. First, as information density on each panel is increased, the failure of a single display panel can cause degradation in cockpit workflow, pilot workload, and the amount of information provided to the pilot. Second, the larger, denser displays cannot easily direct attention to particular warnings on the HDDs and/or to locations outside of the cockpit and/or off the HDDs. Third, larger displays cannot be designed to cover the entire cockpit area. Dead space or unused areas in the cockpit cannot be filled in with display information due to shape and size constraints. Large HDDs often include bezels which take up space in the cockpit and cannot display information for the pilot. Bezels associated with conventional HDDs can prevent a seamless display experience.
Thus, there is a need for a low cost, lightweight virtual display system for use with a heads down display (HDD). There is also a need for a virtual display system that provides a seamless display system. There is further a need for near eye display system and method that can be easily integrated in the design of a cockpit without requiring extra display space. There is further a need for a near eye display that can provide display redundancy in the event of a malfunction. There is also a need for a virtual display system and method that is optimized to direct attention to warnings in the cockpit or to locations outside of the cockpit. Yet further, there is a need for a near eye display system that displays types of information in positions that are appropriate for the particular type of information.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a display system and/or method that provides one or more of these or other advantageous features. Other features or advantages will be made apparent in the present specification. The teachings disclosed extend to those embodiments which fall within the scope of the appended claims, regardless of whether they accomplish one or more of the aforementioned advantages or features.